Unrivaled Brightness for the Money

Hisense continues to step up its game with the release of the U8QG, its latest flagship QLED 4K TV. The display boasts one of the brightest pictures on the market while costing less than dimmer models from brands like Samsung and Sony.

But Hisense didn’t stop at just making a bright TV. The U8QG also boasts excellent backlight control, which produces impressive black levels for a TV of this type, along with sparkling specular highlights.

Its color performance is better than last year’s U8N, too, but there are some inaccuracies here and there. And though the TV’s gaming capabilities are stacked with features like a 165Hz refresh rate, it’s a bit disappointing that there are only three HDMI ports. Likewise, the U8QG has some tough competition from the TCL QM8K, which offers similar performance.

Choosing between the Hisense U8QG and the TCL QM8K is challenging, as both have their strengths and weaknesses. However, the Hisense U8QG is often on sale for less, and the incredible brightness it achieves is hard to ignore. This is easily one of the best-performing QLED 4K TVs of the year.

The U8QG has a solid design, but its connection options are a mixed bag

The Hisense U8QG is available in five sizes: 55, 65, 75, 85, and 100 inches. Hisense provided a 65-inch model for this review. According to reports, the 65- and 85-inch models use a VA panel, while the other three sizes use an ADS Pro panel. VA panels tend to have better contrast, while ADS panels have better viewing angles. This means that the 55-, 75-, and 100-inch models likely offer worse black-level performance than the 65- and 85-inch editions. All sizes have a native 165Hz panel and use the new Hisense Hi-View AI Engine Pro processor.

The TV comes with a pedestal stand featuring a metal base (the 100-inch size includes left and right feet instead). It supports the TV well and can be attached in two positions, with the higher one offering a little over three inches of clearance to place a soundbar in front. A back panel on the stand covers a cable management channel to keep cords nice and tidy.

In comparison to other TVs released this year, the U8QG looks rather chunky. The panel measures 1.75 inches thick, and while that is technically less than the thickest point of its predecessor, the previous model got thinner in certain areas. There isn’t a central electronics housing that protrudes, so the U8QG’s thickness is uniform.

This chunkier build does allow room for an integrated 4.1.2 sound system, featuring side-firing and up-firing speakers. Although beefier than most tiny TV speakers, the sound still lacks oomph (particularly in the bass), and dialogue clarity suffers as the volume increases. I still recommend pairing the TV with a soundbar for an improved sonic experience.

Also housed on the side of the panel is a USB-C DisplayPort input, a unique inclusion not commonly found on many TVs. This connection is designed for PCs and, at first glance, appears to be geared toward gamers. However, this input doesn’t support HDR or VRR (variable refresh rate). I also don’t love its position, since a connected cable will be visible protruding from the side of the TV. Not a slick look. For a cleaner appearance and expanded gaming capabilities, the TV’s three HDMI 2.1 inputs, located on the back of the panel, remain your best option.

You’ll notice I said three HDMI ports instead of the four found on most TVs in this class. Unfortunately, it seems that including the USB-C input resulted in the removal of one of the HDMI ports. While having three HDMI 2.1 ports with 165Hz VRR is nice, it still limits the maximum number of sources that can be connected to the U8QG.

If you’re using a soundbar connected to the eARC port and have three other sources to connect — perhaps an Xbox, PlayStation, and Apple TV — then you’ll have to choose your favorites or play musical inputs when you want to use whichever source is left out. Admittedly, this won’t affect the majority of people, but for those it will, it’s important to note.

The remote is the same one Hisense introduced last year. It has a long, silver metallic design with backlit keys. It includes direct buttons for input selection and settings, a feature not offered by every manufacturer, and fits relatively well in the hand (those with smaller hands will need to slide it around in their palm to easily reach all the buttons).

The U8QG is incredibly bright, but it has some color issues

Hisense is known for underselling its TVs’ brightness performance. For years, it’s basically been a guarantee that its TVs would measure at least a few hundred nits higher than advertised. But with such a strong push across the industry to increase brightness, I wondered how long its TVs would be able to keep overperforming on their promises. Well, they haven’t stopped yet.

According to its specifications, the U8QG has a brightness of up to 5,000 nits across all sizes, except for the 55-inch model, which tops out at 3,000 nits. In my measurements — using a Portrait Displays C6 HDR5000, Murideo Seven-G 8K pattern generator, and Calman calibration software — the TV blasted past that number. In HDR Filmmaker mode, it achieved 5,759 nits from a 5% window. Even a 10% window was impressively bright, with a reading of 4,094 nits.

Those are the brightest measurements I’ve seen on those windows from any TV this year. In comparison, the TCL QM8K, another exceptionally bright TV, came in at 4,999 nits from a 5% window and 3,648 nits from a 10% window. With the default Filmmaker setting in SDR (which has brightness at 45), the U8QG measured 1,512 nits on a 10% window. Increasing the brightness to 100 results in a measurement of 3,297 nits.

With such a bright image, ambient light is of no consequence. Even if you have large windows in your living room, as I do, the image easily holds up to the sunlight. To a certain extent, the TV is even able to handle reflective light from lamps, as I found it to be less distracting on the U8QG than on other TVs with glossy panels.

The question is, how much brightness do you actually need? It’s true that there are some HDR movies on 4K Blu-ray and streaming that are mastered for 4,000 nits or more — “The Meg” and “Alpha” are two that us reviewers have been using for a few years to check high-brightness performance. For those kinds of movies, the U8QG’s brightness is a boon.

In “Alpha,” one of the final scenes includes a vista with a blazing sun. On lesser TVs, the sun lacks definition, and its yellow blends into the oranges of the evening sky. But on the Hisense U8QG, you can clearly see the circular shape of the sun as it illuminates the sky with rich yellows and oranges.

In a dark room, however, those bright moments can feel a bit oppressive, and some might prefer to dial down the TV’s luminance. Thankfully, the Hisense U8QG affords you the possibility. Although the TV can surpass 5,000 nits, you can also adjust settings to reduce the brightness to a level that’s comfortable for you. If you find the luminance too much, I suggest changing the TV’s Peak Brightness mode to medium or low.

In addition to the high brightness, the U8QG has excellent black levels when its local dimming mode is set to high. Blooming (halos around bright objects) is well controlled by the dimming zones, which keep dark sections of the screen inky black while coming close to rivaling the performance of an OLED. The U8QG’s blooming performance doesn’t quite match that of the TCL QM8K, particularly when viewing subtitles or credits on a dark screen, but in other situations, the difference is negligible.

That said, the TV does have a tendency to crush black levels in some scenes. “Blade Runner 2049” frequently utilizes shadow detail to establish its tone. The walls and corners of Sapper Morton’s small home are enshrouded in shadow, but they should still have some definition — the wall by the piano and the corner of the kitchen counter, in particular. On the U8QG, the home appears appropriately dark, but there’s some detail missing in the shadows.

The U8QG’s color performance is vibrant with decent accuracy, and the QLED panel covers nearly all of the P3 color gamut. However, there are some issues with oversaturation, particularly in reds. The explosions in “Mad Max: Fury Road” appear spectacularly bright and vibrant, but the reds are a bit too intense, causing them to look slightly artificial. The yellow and orange tones of the desert scenes are less affected by the oversaturated reds, and skin tones appear natural without the sunburned look that oversaturation can sometimes cause. But as the TV’s grayscale gets closer to white, it leans toward a red tint.

The U8QG offers a range of gaming features, including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro VRR with a refresh rate of up to 165Hz for PCs and 120Hz for consoles, low input lag, Dolby Vision gaming support, and good motion handling. I noticed some minor smearing while using VRR, but it was nothing excessive that distracted me. My time gaming on the U8QG was enjoyable.

QLED TVs, such as the U8QG, often struggle with viewing angles, particularly those with VA panels, like my review sample. The U8QG does indeed start to lose color vibrancy and veer toward a slightly washed-out appearance when viewed at an angle of approximately 30 degrees. That’s similar to the performance I saw on the TCL QM8K. A family sitting on the couch for a movie night won’t notice much of a difference, but if a large group is over watching the game, those on the sides will see the loss in quality.

It’s also important to reiterate that my experience with the 65-inch model may not be representative of other sizes, as the U8 series uses different panel types for certain sizes. Sizes with an ADS panel will likely perform better off-angle at the expense of overall contrast.

Google TV OS continues to be a great interface

The U8QG utilizes the Google TV OS, which works great, offering smooth operation and easy integration with an existing Google account. There are, of course, ads within the Google interface, but they’re not too obtrusive, and navigation is fast.

The Google Store offers thousands of apps for download, including ones you’d expect, such as HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Prime Video, as well as more niche options that aren’t available on all built-in streaming OS platforms. F1 fans will be able to follow the season with F1 TV, and comedy fans can revel in the world of Dropout.

Google Assistant voice control is supported with the included remote or through hands-free commands via the TV’s built-in microphones. Later this year, the U8QG is also set to receive an update to enable support for Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot. Compared to Google Assistant, Gemini offers more conversational search functions and provides more extensive information across a wider range of topics.

Should you buy the Hisense U8QG?

The Hisense U8QG is as good or better than its predecessor, the U8N, in every way. It’s brighter, has better HDR color accuracy, excellent contrast — especially for a Mini LED display — and has strong gaming support. Its impressive performance for the price puts it in the mix as one of the top 4K QLED TVs of the year.

But not everything about the U8QG is perfect. There are some issues with oversaturated color that can make things look off, and the grayscale tracks a bit warm. The decision to replace one of the HDMI inputs with a USB-C DisplayPort is only beneficial to a select few, and the input’s placement on the edge of the TV’s frame detracts from a sleek, clean installation.

The U8QG’s main competitor is the TCL QM8K, another fantastic, and (not quite as) bright flagship QLED 4K TV. The QM8K has slightly better color and grayscale accuracy, and thanks to TCL’s Halo Control System, it’s even better at reducing blooming than the Hisense. The QM8K also has four HDMI inputs, but only two of them are version 2.1. You can learn more in our TCL QM8K QLED 4K TV review.

However, the Hisense is often discounted for less than the QM8K, and it’s available in an additional 55-inch size. If prices were all equal, I’d lean toward the TCL, but if you want to save a bit of money, the Hisense U8QG offers a slightly brighter picture while still maintaining a colorful and punchy image.

For more display recommendations, be sure to check out our complete guide to the best TVs.